A hotly contested political race generates a wealth of drama in this documentary from filmmaker Marshall Curry. Sharpe James is a veteran politician who has been mayor of Newark, NJ, since 1986; by the admission of his own spokespeople, James is a “machine” politician who uses muscle and influence to get things done, and while he’s enjoyed the fruits of his success, his administration has been accused of having a long history of corruption.

In 2002, Cory Booker, a lawyer who was a member of the Newark City Council, announced he was running for mayor, and it didn’t take long for the contest to get ugly. Booker was a graduate of Yale Law School, a Rhodes Scholar, and an advocate of more open and honest government, and James and his staff wasted no time in attacking his qualifications and personality in public.

While both candidates were African-American, James chose to play the race card, questioning if Booker was “black” enough and suggesting the church-going Baptist was actually a Jew. James’ campaign staff didn’t stop at verbal attacks, and as Marshall Curry began covering the James and Booker campaigns, he found himself frequently attacked by James’ supporters (with his camera running and in full view of other reporters). (Barnes & Noble)

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Most politically charged films focus on corruption at the higher levels of state, but STREET FIGHT gives us a curb-side view of something much smaller …and much more important. The 2002 Newark, New Jersey Mayoral race is something most voters in the U.S. could care less about. Why should someone in, say, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania pay attention to Newark’s voting issues? Or someone in Fort Worth, Texas? Or San Francisco, California?

Realistically, none of them would. But Newark is New Jersey’s most populated city, and those in San Francisco and beyond might want to take a peak at what’s happening to our democracy on a pseudo-microcosmic level. The film’s primary focus is on Cory Booker, a Newark city councilman with his eye on the mayor’s office. He’s a Stanford and Yale graduate who lives in a slum within Newark. He’s an idealist who’s grown tired of his city’s poor schools, poorer neighborhoods, and rising jobless rate.

To get into the mayor’s office, though, he’ll have to unseat four-time incumbent Sharpe James, a man who’s firmly entrenched within Newark’s politics. We watch as writer, director, photographer Marshall Curry seeks to interview both sides of the race, first by checking in on Cory Booker’s campaign, then by trying (in vain) to meet up with Sharpe James and his people. (Amazon)